Everyone at Seaside Village Grace Church was indeed happy to see Liv. Jasmyn doubted they missed her donuts one iota. The table—set up for coffee hour on a covered patio between the church and the parking lot—nearly sagged under Danish rolls and whatnot.
Jasmyn stood off to the side, munching the gooiest pumpkin bar she’d ever had. She watched people shower Liv with attention and gave up on separating her friend from the sugar-and-fat-laden goodie someone had handed her and was now making its way toward Liv’s mouth.
Jasmyn’s hovering stage had to end at some point. Unlike Jasmyn’s mother and grandparents, Liv was getting better. Reminding her she had been ill would only reinforce the struggle she’d had earlier that morning about being old.
Whatever old was, it hadn’t shown up yet among the mainly white- and silver-haired folks surrounding Liv. Their laughter and energy obviously affected Liv in a good way. The extra crease in her forehead had disappeared.
Jasmyn’s phone beeped softly, a text alert. Oops. She’d forgotten to turn it off. No one stood nearby, so she reached inside her shoulder bag, expecting to see a note from Quinn. She palmed the phone and angled it so the screen faced up.
Keagan? The text was from Keagan?
His name and number were in her phone because she had entered all the Casa folks’ information, a necessity while filling in for Liv. Evidently her number was in his phone as well, maybe from when she had texted him—and everyone—about the potluck.
She rubbed her throat, pulled out the phone, and read the message. How was church?
How was church? How did he even know they’d gone to church?
The guy certainly had a knack for knowing, and he seemed to have an angel’s way about him when it came to Liv’s well-being. Being concerned about her going to church was a little over-the-top. Jasmyn needn’t worry that no one would hover after she left. Keagan fit the bill.
She popped the last sweet bite into her mouth, wiped her fingers on a napkin, and typed a reply. No worries. Liv is happy here.
Before she could tuck the phone away, another text appeared.
Meant for you.
For her? How was church for her? Is that what he meant?
Now why would he ask that? Why would the thought even cross his mind to text her when they were neighbors and likely to see each other later that day?
She tapped out Just fine, sent it, turned off the phone, and shoved it deep into her bag.
Technology was just plain intrusive. To be able to instantaneously read Keagan’s thoughts felt too…well, it made her feel as if they were close friends. Really close friends. Like Quinn.
But not exactly. More like friends who had crushes on each other.
“Are you okay, dear?” Liv came into focus, her face beaming like the sun.
“Uh, yeah. Keagan texted and…um, nothing. He just wondered how church went.”
“Hmm. He can be an oddball at times, can’t he?”
“A little.”
Liv laughed.
Jasmyn suspected that Liv knew that Jasmyn’s throat tickled. That she somehow knew Jasmyn felt…what was the word? Discombobulated. As though she were a water balloon that went splat because six words zipped through space and time and announced that Keagan was thinking about her.
“Jasmyn, dear, I’m ready to go if you are. Thank you for talking me into coming. What a glorious morning!”
A smile sprang to Jasmyn’s lips. Liv was a gem. As Keagan had told her on that very first day when they met, she was the real deal.
And her church was the real deal. It hadn’t been just fine for Jasmyn. It had been glorious. The deep quiet she’d longed for had found her there as it had found her out in the desert church. It tiptoed into her heart as she sang and recited and listened to a humble pastor talk simply of God’s unconditional love and acceptance.
For Jasmyn, that finished everything. At last she felt really and truly ready to leave Seaside Village. It was time to take this new reality back to her old life.